Damsel in Distress
by Duchess Delanie
Summary: Princess Moriah's family has always been dominated by strong, intelligent, and powerful women. But that's not Moriah, the girl who actually requests an arranged marriage. Will that be enough to keep her from her family's wild ways?
1. Meet Moriah

When she was but fifteen years old, Princess Roseangel Moriah Willowdale found out that her country was under attack from a neighboring country. Along with her father and brothers, she mounted a horse, wore armor, and rode into battle, helping to secure a glorious victory for her people.

Her daughter Lydia Elizabeth did not have the temperament befitting a warrior, but as times were more peaceful that did not matter. Lydia Elizabeth was a more bookish sort, content to sit in the library and read. However, that reading did her good, and by the time she was thirteen she was one of her parents' most trusted advisors in all things. She studied medicine and eventually became a great healer.

When Lydia Elizabeth married, she had four daughters. One became a great artist, the next a valuable spy and diplomat, one a knight like her grandmother.

The fourth, Charity Roseangel, preferred the smell of horses and the outdoors. She managed to drag all three of her sisters at various times on mad quests across the country. She married the stableboy who attended her and had two daughters.

Both were explorers as well. The more adventurous one was only heard from on rare and random occasions, while the other dressed as a boy and rescued a prince from a horrible spell. His name was Ian Stonehill and her name was Elizabeth Whitney.

They are my parents.

After adventuring for a few more years, Ian and Elizabeth married and settled down. They had three daughters.

My older sister, Lydia, was a tomboy from the moment she realized she existed. She hunted and fished and didn't wear dresses until she was thirteen years old and suddenly decided they weren't that bad. Even then it was not uncommon to see her running around in trousers, her beautiful red curls bound up, as if those things would hide her wild beauty. She was trained in the ways of a knight and a warrior, even though the kingdom was at peace. She eventually became interested in magic from our court wizard and became something of his apprentice.

My younger sister, Willow, was much more docile. Except when she wasn't. At least she didn't want to be a warrior. But she was still wild. She was tall and blond and looked exactly like the sort of person who would be named Willow. She enjoyed reading and nature even more than did Lydia. She especially loved reading the books on why things were the way they were. She read histories and all sorts of sciences. She had her own telescope, and kept journals about plants and weather.

For five generations, the women of my family had been nothing close to what Mama called "ordinary" princesses. She and Grandmama spoke of it all the time. The women were brave, smart, resourceful, and did not marry just any man who demanded their hands.

Until I, Moriah Katrina, came along.

When I didn't take to toy swords or horses immediately, my parents figured I was a more bookish sort. They read to me and hired the finest tutors. But I was a slow learner and did not even care much for reading. They tried me with various sports of skill. I was not at all athletic. They gave me paints, but all I did was make simple drawings. I was good around people, but not noticeably enough to prove to the world that I was meant for politics.

I was Princess Moriah. I was a shame to the women of my family. They never said anything, but I knew well enough. I constantly heard the stories of them all, and the praises of Lydia and Willow while I sat with with my needlepoint and my typical good looks. I could sew, sing, and dance. I was beautiful. And that was my grand list of accomplishments.


	2. Moriah seeks an arranged marriage

_Thanks to everyone who has been reading this! I really appreciate your kind reviews and critiques!_

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Three and a half months after my sixteenth birthday, I did the unthinkable, the most dreadful thing I could do to shock my poor family. It was something of which they would never dream, not even for me. Somewhere between Father's repeated story of how he had met Mother and the chaos of Willow releasing another 'pet' into the dining hall, I mentioned that Father might consider arranging a marriage for me.

It was terrible, downright scandalous. Mother screamed right then and there and Father laughed as if I were joking, which I was not. Willow and Lydia just stared at me.

I repeated my request again. "I wouldn't mind an arranged marriage."

Father stopped laughing. Willow, who was barely twelve and yet dwarfed only by Father, looked like she might burst into tears.

"Is this what you want?" Mother asked seriously. "You want to marry a stranger?"

"I'm sure Father will find someone nice for me to marry," I replied. I didn't see what the big fuss was about. Other princesses had their marriages arranged. Why should I be any different?

"I'm sure I could," Father said in a rather distant-sounding voice as his fork attempted to find its way to the vegetable-and-rice medley we were eating. "But... wouldn't you prefer to find your own husband?"

"If my marriage were arranged without my permission," Lydia said, "I would run away."

Of course, it wouldn't be terribly dramatic for her to do such a thing. She was twenty-three. But Lydia didn't need an arranged marriage. She was beautiful, and she had plenty of admirers. She would never understand.

I was beautiful, too. No one could deny that, and since it was one of my few qualities I was continually complimented. My hair was brown, but a good, rich brown. It was thick and wavy, just as a princess' hair should be. Sometimes I wondered if I should just cut it all off. That wouldn't be the typical princess thing to do. I'm sure Lydia would applaud me for doing that. But no matter what Lydia thought, I could never do that. I liked my hair too much. After Lydia applauded me, she would kill me. She liked my hair, too.

She was my big sister by seven years, but she seemed to be the only one that would try to understand me.

About a week after I proposed the arranged marriage, I sat in our room watching Lydia polish her new knife, a gift from some Prince Claud, one of her many admirers. Of course she had many. They couldn't get enough of a woman who would try to beat them at their own sports. She sat in the middle of the floor, the skirt of her dress spread before her, the other eight knives in her collection resting on it--she didn't want them to collect dirt from the floor. I leaned against my bed, the one with the big, frilly pink coverlet and the big, fluffy pillows--also pink. I couldn't help it; I liked pink.

"I still think you should run away," Lydia said. "That's what I would do."

I sighed. "But you forget that the arranged marriage was my idea in the first place."

She bit her lip as she sharpened her knife against the stone. A strand of red hair was caught against her face; I wondered if it bothered her. "It doesn't matter. You, Moriah, are probably the only princess that would ever suggest an arranged marriage. My dear little sister, marrying herself off to some stranger."

"Father wouldn't marry me to someone unkind," I replied. "He would find someone nice."

Lydia rolled her eyes and held the knife up to the light, where the blade glinted. "Why do you want someone nice? At least, nice the way I interpret the word. Nice means you are kind and decent, the sort of person that would never get into trouble, the sort of person that doesn't have the intelligence to get into trouble. Nice implies that one is boring."

I laughed and squeezed my knees into my chest. "I didn't realize you could be so mean."

She grinned and set the knife down. "I'm not the one that said such things. I heard it from the Pest." The Pest was the name she had given Willow, all in loving kindness, of course.

"Willow is twelve," I said. "She shouldn't be thinking about men, nice or not."

"The girl has spirit, though."

I hated it when she said things like that. It was as if she were saying I had none of whatever she attributed to Willow. She probably didn't mean that, but it was how I felt. I gritted my teeth and said nothing.

"You should still run away, though," Lydia continued, picking up another knife. "I would. I could never let myself marry someone I didn't love."

"I can't run away from a marriage I suggested," I said. "Besides, everyone is in love with you."

She laughed. "No, they're not. They just can't get over the amazement they feel when I beat them. That's it. You should join a jousting tournament, disguised as a knight. Then you can meet someone and fall in love. There."

"That's what Father suggested last week," I said. Father had suggested we hold contests for my hand— and I would secretly join them. Mother had suggested I attend a foreign court on a diplomatic mission.

"Climb a mountain. Did you know that Prince Claud climbed a mountain? By himself? He wants me to join him sometime, if he ever does it again."

I sighed. She was talking about herself again. She was actually interesting enough to talk about herself. "You think I should climb a mountain?"

She finally brushed the hair away from her face. "No, I don't, truthfully. You're not the type that climbs mountains."

"Then what type am I?" It was practically a futile question, the beginning of a conversation we had repeated countless times.

She grinned brightly at me, knowing her cue. "You're the Moriah type."

"And what, pray tell, does that mean?" I reached behind and fumbled for a pillow, extra fluffy, and considered throwing it at her. But that would be mean.

"You're your own type," she said simply. "And that's all."

Sometimes that answer made me furious. Other times it was comforting, in an odd way. This time, I felt comforted. She still didn't get it. Lydia was exciting and adventurous. Willow was smart. I could sing and sew prettily.

"It doesn't matter," she continued. "No one would ask Willow to climb a mountain. They would invite her to explore a library, and then have hot cocoa afterwards." She sounded as if she detested the entire idea.

I smiled to myself. Maybe my request for an arranged marriage was my own act of rebellion. I liked to think of it that way, and I stored that thought in my heart as my own little secret. Lydia and Willow could find princes to marry them. Maybe an arranged marriage was my only chance for love. Love. That was something I thought about a lot. Lydia and Willow and even Mother said that it was silly to think about, not when there were so many other important things in the world. But then... they wanted me to marry for love.

Some days my family made absolutely no sense at all.

But I didn't like reading. I didn't like politics. I didn't like playing outdoors all day long.

What was wrong with an arranged marriage?

"I still think you should run away," Lydia said, completely out of the blue.

I again thought of tossing the pillow.


	3. Moriah finds a husband

_Hello, dear readers! Thank-you so much for all your reviews! This is something of a filler/bridge chapter; I stretched it out in one draft, but it seemed that it would just slow down the pace of the story._

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No one could truly call my father a coward, or anything at all that was less than a man, but it still seemed insulting to him to arrange a marriage for his younger daughter. Other kings boasted of the strong political matches they made while my father treated the entire incident as a bother. No, that wasn't the right word. I saw him meet with the ambassadors, discussing possible matches with a bemused expression.

Lydia claimed she heard him say something about hoping I would pull some fast trick before anything happened.

Lydia... she still was upset I was doing this. But my mind was made up, and each day gave me, to my surprise, a fluttering of the heart that could mean nothing less than anticipation. Why shouldn't I be excited? If everything went well, I was to be married! Weren't all girls abuzz over a wedding?

Willow, at least, thought the whole situation wonderfully romantic, and my mother took the time to educate her youngest daughter in the truth of love, that love was something deep and meaningful.

Why couldn't I eventually love the mysterious stranger who was to be my husband?

"You fall in love first," Mother would say. "Then you get married. It doesn't happen backwards. That's impossible."

Well, how was love supposed to happen?

Then it happened. Not the love– but the marriage. Willow came skipping into our bedroom, blonde hair in bouncing braids, shouting something about Father finding me a perfect husband, one with family ties that would be nothing but an asset to our family and kingdom. Lydia was quick to make fun of that.

His name was David, and he was the eldest son of the King of Rantolia. I had no idea where that place was located; I never much bothered with the maps. Our wedding was to take place in two weeks. There would be no courtship, only a fortnight to prepared my belongings for a new life in a kingdom of which I had never heard, a fortnight to wonder about the only adventure I would ever have.

It was no wonder that I laughed. Willow and I spent the next hour jumping around the room, like children. Willow would never be too old for that.

Lydia just smiled. Maybe she did understand me, a little.

But that was also the same night she ran away. She woke us up in the middle of the night, kissed our cheeks, and said she was off.

My parents were thrilled.

I wasn't. She wouldn't even be at my wedding.


	4. Meet David

"This place is humongous! Bigger than humongous! Moriah, can anything be bigger than humongous? Has anyone ever bothered to define humongous? Oh, well. I've never seen anything bigger than this. Anything outside of the woods, of course."

My sister Willow was not talking about the palace of the royal family of Rantolia. Her architecture phase had come and gone. What she was walking about was the gardens and grounds that stretched around the gray palace Sleeping Beauty's thorns. To her, it was a glistening fairy land, and it was all Mother could do to keep her from leaping out of the carriage. I laughed. "Willow, I have no idea about anything you just said."

"Moriah will have to invite you to stay sometime, won't she?" Mother suggested to the both of us as she once again yanked Willow back into her seat.

"But they're so beautiful!" she whined. "Mother, Father, how come we don't have gardens like these?"

"Because no one wants to take care of them," Father muttered.

I glanced at him, almost hiding a smile. He had been in a bad mood the entire journey. At first I had thought he was mad at me, but a sudden outburst three hours before had assured me that he was only upset that I was getting married and leaving him. He hadn't been so miserable when Lydia had disappeared.

"Well, we should have one," Willow said firmly. "I'll take care of it. I want to write a book on plants."

"It is lovely," Mother agreed. "Ian, you certainly chose well."

Father shrugged, not looking at any of us. "Apparently Prince David is a good person. I thought Moriah would like a garden."

I would like a garden. Gardens were pretty enough. I probably didn't want one as much as did Willow, but a family that kept so many gardens had to be kind. As for the palace itself... I had barely realized we were there. I hugged myself as Mother watched bemusedly and thought of the trousseau in the carriage following ours.

I was getting married. I was getting married.

To someone I had never met.

The carriage pulled up against a pale pink marble bridge that crossed over a delicate stream. People were already waiting, at least a dozen escorts dressed handsomely in yellow. Yellow. I never thought it could be such a welcoming color. Certainly it was a happy color... I was feeling better every second. They even blew a trumpet at my arrival.

"Presenting King Ian Stonehill, his Queen Elizabeth, and his two daughters Princess Willow and Princess Moriah!" The man making the bold announcement didn't seem to notice us at all.

Willow giggled at that.

But I had been practicing this in my mind the entire journey. It was to be remarkable. I was the bride of their prince. I had to make a good first impression.

The door swung open, and out stepped Father, Mother, me, and...

Willow apparently couldn't resist the urge to shove me out.

I fell with a scream, catching my dress on my knees as I slammed hard into the ground. At least it wasn't face-first.

"Sorry!" Willow said in her high-pitched voice.

Wonderful. Now they had a clumsy cow for their princess. It's difficult to regain a sense of dignity after a fall like that, but it was what I had to do. With Father's help, I climbed to my feet and gave the best smile I could muster at that point.

No one seemed to care. Had they even noticed?

And where was my groom? Hopefully he had missed out.

An older man in yellow approached Father. I didn't hear what they said, but a few words from Father sent the gentleman straight to me. No doubt Father had something that I could certainly be addressed as it was my wedding.

I curtsied and smiled, hoping my hair was not a mess.

I think the gentleman liked me. "Princess Moriah," he said with a bow. "Welcome to Rantolia. We are delighted you will be joining us, and let me be the first to say that your beauty was not exaggerated by your ambassador."

I blushed. Beauty? I was that beautiful? "It is a most lovely kingdom."

"I am to let you know that Prince David was not able to greet you at the gate, as would otherwise be our tradition. He had other matters of which to attend. Now I am sure that you and your family are tired from your journey. If you will kindly follow us, servants will let you freshen up and eat."

I was too excited to eat, but I couldn't very well say that.

"If you have anything else to ask," he said, "Notify me. My name is Alexander."

"Alexander," I repeated. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I wonder if they've horses," Mother mused somewhere near.

How humiliating.

Alexander and the others led us inside. The double doors swung open to reveal a lovely room. The floor was built of boards of fine wood, and tapestries lined the walls. I studied them. Gardens and hunts and I really couldn't tell what else. The usual. I was almost disappointed to no longer see a theme of yellow.

Suddenly, Mother burst into tears.

It was rather awkward.

"Tomorrow morning!" she exclaimed between tears.

Tomorrow morning? Oh, yes. I was to be married the next morning. "Yes, Mother."

"Mother's just sad," Willow whispered.

And to think they had been happy at Lydia's disappearance.

And after the wedding festivities, they would leave. For the first time I felt a little twist of my heart. I was getting married. I was leaving my family. Willow would no longer have a sister.

Father was as gruff as ever. "Well, Moriah especially needs to clean up so..." He didn't seem too keen on giving a real sentence.

"We do have rooms ready," Alexander said. If I weren't mistaken, he was amused by us.

At least Mother and Father knew enough to behave. Willow, on the other, hand did not. We had barely gone up at staircase when she bolted in the other direction. Mother and Father didn't see.

I couldn't believe this. I was acting like her governess. She was twelve, far too old to act like this. I sighed and ran after her. It's difficult to run in skirts. "Willow! Willow!"

"Who's Willow?"

I stopped just short of crashing into a young man coming around the corner. I screamed, clapping my hands over my mouth far too late.

The man's face went red. He was older than I, at least five years, and a good head taller than I. His face was round and pleasant under pale brown hair cut short. He did not wear yellow, which was a good thing. He was rather on the plump side, not fat, but in yellow he might have looked like a butterball. "My Lady, I had no intention to startle you."

I shook my head, wondering what on earth the etiquette was for this type of situation. "No, no, sir. I... I shouldn't have been running. You see, I was only trying to find my sister and I..." Oh, this had better not be Prince David. I sounded like such a fool. But it couldn't be Prince David. He didn't look like a Prince.

"The blonde girl that tore that way?" The man gestured around the corner. "She nearly killed me."

My sister almost killed one of the Prince's servants. "I am terribly sorry."

He shrugged. "You're not the one that almost trampled me." He paused, really looking at me for the first time. "Are you by any chance Princess Moriah Katrina Stonehill?"

He had my entire name memorized. The entire palace was waiting for me. And yet I didn't like a servant saying my whole name. 'My Lady' would have been good enough.

I nodded and curtsied. "Yes, yes. I am Princess Moriah. I'm here to–"

"-- to marry Prince David," he finished for me. "Yes, I know. We're all very excited."

"I only hope Prince David is."

"He is. I should know. I am Prince David."

Oh. I had been wrong. I felt my entire face set itself on fire. "Then it is a pleasure to meet you." Good save, good save.

"Especially if we are to be married," he said. "You seem very nice, Princess."

And then we stood there, awkwardly.

This wasn't supposed to be how it worked. Prince David was supposed to be marvelous handsome and charming. But... but he was nice. Hadn't that been what I had wanted? Nice?

He gave a bow. "Well, I realize you have just arrived. If anyone sees your sister, I shall send her to you. But you must be tired. You should go rest."

I think we were both glad to get away from that meeting. I was nearly in tears by the time I caught up with Alexander and my parents. If Alexander noticed, he didn't say anything, but Mother and Father were certainly watching.

The moment I entered my room, I threw myself on the bed and let the tears pour out. Mother sat down next to me and stroked my hair. "Goodness, darling! What is the matter?"

"I met Prince David," I said. "And now I'm not..." I cut myself off just in time. I didn't want to say I didn't like him, because then Mother would suggest I run away or something. I knew she would. I took a deep breath and tried again. "I'm scared now."

"Of course you are. But is he kind?"

This was new. Why was she asking me this? Where was the command to run away?

"He's nice," I said.

She sighed deeply. "This is why I always felt it best to fall in love with someone before the wedding." Here it came. "But Moriah, your father and I always wanted you to make your own decisions. And this is what you wanted. Is it still?"

Of course it was. I had asked for this. And I didn't even know David. I nodded and sniffed. The lovely silk comforter was going to be disgusting with tears.

Suddenly I wished Lydia were there.

"You're going to be a beautiful bride," Mother whispered, caressing my hair. "I know you enough to know that you will be happy here."


	5. Moriah & David's Wedding

It would have been terrible of me to say that it was anything but a beautiful wedding. Of that, I was thrilled, and I felt myself glowing inwardly and out with the delight that a dream wedding brings. Well, it wasn't a dream wedding because I had never before had one. But it was my wedding, and it was wonderful. The chapel had been decorated in pink and yellow roses. Willow, as my attendant, had her dress prepared– she looked very pretty in yellow, though I think the ceremony bored her. As for my dress, it was nothing less than stunning. Quick as a candle going out I felt all my fears vanish. I even had to admit that Prince David looked handsome... and even happy to see me. I liked that much. If he were to be my husband, he at least she would be willing to see.

After all, I had asked for this.

We stood as a pair, not even glancing at the other. That was always how it happened in the weddings I had seen. The bride and groom were supposed to completely ignore each other while the priest droned on and on. I never had the patience nor the attention span to listen to long speeches.

I was calm, though. I was oddly, strangely, and ridiculously calm! Whatever happened to the butterflies I was supposed to feel? The dread over Prince David? If Lydia had been in my spot, she would have taken off running and screaming long ago. I had felt like that last night, sort of.

But this was what I had asked for. This was my plan.

Was it the right thing? Would I truly be happy?

The questions were there, but none of the panic. They were only questions, words in my mind that demanded some attention and pondering– but not very much. I was here in a chapel, next to my husband-to-be, sparkling like a star. Beautiful, beautiful. Willow was squirming next to me. I wondered where Lydia was. She was supposed to be here, screaming out from the congregation or even swinging in on a rope to rescue me. We would run off together into the wilderness like the women of our family before us.

But there was no Lydia. It was not something Willow would think to do. My parents would never force me away from my own choice. So, more or less, I was trapped.

"I pronounce you husband and wife," the priest finally said. "You may kiss the bride."

Oh. This part of the ceremony. I had completely forgotten. How silly of me.

As quick as anything came the butterflies.

Prince David (I couldn't think of him as anything but Prince David) and I faced each other. Prince David. My husband. My _husband_.

It had actually happened. The marriage.

I smiled; the butterflies in my stomach insisted upon that. He smiled back. He wasn't bad-looking. He had a very nice face.

Well, everyone was watching, and Prince David looked interested in doing so, so we kissed.

It wasn't a bad kiss. Not a peck, but not terribly long. Not horrible for my first kiss. From my husband.

"Thank-you," I said the moment it was finished.

That seemed to surprise Prince David. "You are most welcome."

He took my hand, tangling my fingers with his, and with the crowd cheering we went to begin the festivities.

The celebration was held in the gardens Willow had admired the day before. They were very pretty. Tangled and rather wild, just as garden probably should be. I should have admired them more myself. They were mine now.

Prince David and I didn't say much, and I still couldn't really feel anything. Which wasn't a bad thing, I supposed.

"Well, wasn't that fun," he said between kind responses to the throngs of well-wishers.

It took me a moment to realize his words were half-sarcasm. A smile came out against my will. "Aren't weddings supposed to be fun?"

He shrugged, and I tried to read his face. We were no longer holding hands, but he didn't look upset about having married me. "Moriah, all we did was stand there listening to a priest. Though you did look beautiful. I don't mean anything against you."

"Thank-you," I said again. Twice within fifteen minutes.

We didn't say anything else for a long time. At least to each other. We just wandered the gardens, smiling and chatting with the guests. Prince David was very gracious and friendly. I tried to be the same.

Prince David's parents were also very friendly and gracious. I had met them the night before, briefly, but they returned.

His mother, Queen Ella, was more outgoing than her husband. Tears in her eyes, she enveloped me in a strangling hug while telling me just how pretty I was. King Theodore didn't hug me, but he did give me a kiss on the cheek. I decided I liked them, what I knew of them. Then they were gone, off to mingle with the other guests.

For a few minutes, Prince David and I were ignored. It was a strange feeling. It was terribly uncomfortable not to speak to him, but I loved being the bride.

"So," he finally said. "We are now married, and we don't know a thing about each other."

Hm. I had never imagined this happening. What was I supposed to say? I wasn't interesting like Lydia and Willow. "I like singing," I said. "I want to weave a tapestry someday."

Did those things really sum me up?

He nodded with a polite smile. "I like reading," he said. "I read pretty much everything. That's interesting, I mean. Because some things in books are boring. You start reading them and you realize that they are boring and..." His voice trailed off. "Isn't that your sister?"

I followed his gaze and nearly screamed. Willow had managed to climb one of the trees. Her lovely dress that was in filthy tatters, and she was now balancing, smiling, on a thick bough.

"Yes," I replied. "That is." I marched away from him to the base of the tree. "Get down here this instant!"

She just laughed. "But I can see everything from up here!"

What was there to possibly see?

"Please come down!"

She shook her head. "No. I don't want to." She then proceeded to tear out leaves, crumple them into a ball, and toss that an unsuspecting and bald guest.

At least not many noticed her. I bit my lip and returned to Prince David.

To my horror, he was actually smiling.

"She could get hurt," I hissed.

"We have several doctors in the palace. But don't worry about her. I... I prepared something for you, for the wedding." His face went to the slightest blush. "I hope you like it. Alexander!"

Alexander, standing only a few feet away, nodded and held up a glass, which he tapped until everyone was silent.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced. "His Highness Prince David has prepared a gift for his bride, Princess Moriah. If you will all turn your attention to the south portion of the garden..."

There was a click of a trap being released, and then I gasped.

Butterflies. Not the butterflies in my stomach, but real ones. Hundreds of beautiful yellow butterflies burst into the air. It was stunning.

"Thank-you, Prince David," I whispered. "It's..."

Then someone screamed.

Magpies rushed into the garden from unseen perches in trees. With her own scream Willow scampered down from her tree.

I joined in the screaming, ducking to the filthy ground as the magpies happily devoured the butterflies.

"That was not supposed to happen," Prince David muttered.


	6. Moriah's Life

I cannot deny that I did not bawl my eyes out the next morning when my family left. I had never been particularly emotional in that fashion; I was sad when the occasion was sad and I was very prone to moments of random silliness. But the way I felt as I watched my family's carriage disappear through the mess of the royal garden was unlike anything I had expected. I felt like a child, far younger than Willow, a little baby who had been abandoned by her uncaring parents who arranged a marriage for her with a man she did not love, parents who did not think of just what was going to happen to their little daughter. Parents who had just tossed a tiny infant into the middle of the woods.

Silly, I know. Maybe every bride felt like that, once all was done and reality set in. Then the bride would get over it, realize just how happy was her life, and fondly think of her parents from a distance. True, by the time afternoon rolled around I was feeling somewhat better about the whole situation. After all, it had been my idea in the first place. So what if Prince David wasn't exactly the charming, dashing husband I had expected? At least I wasn't going to be expected to slay an evil witch or something. Married women just did not do such things, and at least my family could recognize that.

No, that wasn't true. Plenty of my ancesteresses had done bizarre things as grandmothers.

Well, that was not going to be me. Instead of the bizarre, I had a nice if not wonderful husband. I lived in a beautiful palace. I was beautiful. People liked me. By evening, I had remembered that I had made the right decision. By the following morning, I was quite happy.

My new family adored me. King Theodore discussed how he had always wanted a daughter and explained the details of the throne to me—apparently once he died and David became King and I Queen, I had to know such things. Actually, I think King Theodore just liked hearing himself talk. Queen Ella personally took my sizes, my color and fashion interests, and ordered dozens of dresses that had absolutely nothing to do with my interests. Still, they were beautiful. She had better taste than I.

I was given five girls to attend me. Their names were Mina, Rebeccah, Alice, Eve, and Mary. Nice girls, each one of them, quite and polite and quick to do whatever I told them. I liked that about them, though I found myself wishing they would talk a little more, after the first week.

One of Prince David's wedding gifts to me was an elaborate harp. I hadn't taken too many harp lessons, and I joyfully resumed the practice. I was also given an even more elaborate sewing kit, and access to everything I needed to make anything. I guess he remembered my dream to make a tapestry.

Yes, I was happy, as happy as I had imagined I would be. I could complain for nothing. But if I had to choose something to complain about, that something would have to be my husband.

I didn't want to complain about him. What I felt could hardly be considered a complaint. During my fantasies of an arranged marriage, I hadn't thought about my husband, not really. I shouldn't have assumed anything. Prince David was nice, as nice as could be. I think he liked me all right, and I liked him all right, as well. We had our own separate quarters, but our nights spent together were good, as far such things went. We didn't talk much, but when we did talk, the conversation never lead to any hurt feelings. One night we found ourselves laughing uproariously for a good five minutes. I just couldn't remember what that had been about.

I thought about what my parents thought of Prince David. Willow was too young to be much of a judge. I mostly thought about what Lydia would have thought of Prince David. Lydia had her suitors, so many of them, and yet I couldn't help but think that she would have scolded me for wanting someone handsome. But all of Lydia's suitors were handsome.

Well, I had not specified to Father to find me a handsome prince. Prince David wasn't bad-looking, though. I eventually defined his looks as "cute", and that was a definition that fit him well. He just wasn't handsome.

Or dashing and adventurous. Then it occurred to me that if he were, I would probably be dragged along with him on some crazy adventure.

And so in the end I was happy and content. If I felt bored here and then, it was my own fault and I would quickly try to remedy it.

One day, about three weeks after the wedding, I was feeling slightly bored. I think it was an absence of Willow running up and down the halls screaming, or making a mess with gooey treats from the kitchen as she read book after book. But the palace was seeming just too quiet.

Alice and Mina were helping me dress for the day, once again without saying anything more than three words. I guess I wanted a little more than that.

The dress was one that Queen Ella had picked out, a pale yellow that she insisted was striking against my dark hair. And it was. I smiled at myself in the mirror. "Mina, do you think this dress suits me?"

Mina simply nodded.

"You must have nice dresses as well," I said. "What is your favorite dress? Of your own, I mean?"

Mina simply shrugged.

"We only wear our finest dresses to great occasions, Princess," Alice said politely.

I smiled. Of course. "Probably too difficult to wear anything too frilly when we are all running about the palace all day."

"Yes, Princess. That's it."

It was impossible to get a conversation going with either. I sighed and stopped trying. As soon as I was ready, I went to look for Prince David.

I found him in one of his favorite places, the library. It hadn't taken me too many guesses to look there. He was lying in front of the window, chomping noisily on an apple, reading a book. He barely glanced up as I entered. "Hello, Moriah."

And we were supposed to be married. Oh, well. "Hello," I replied. "What are you doing?"

He stared at me for a moment, mid-swallow of an apple. "Reading."

Ah. Yes. Of course he was reading. I felt a little silly. "What are you reading?"

"A discourse of the kingdom's history. I think it's important to stay on top of what is going on now, but knowing the history is helpful. Plus, it's pretty fascinating to read."

I shrugged and sat down on a chair across the way from him. Prince David did spend a lot of time working with King Theodore and all the politics. "You know, I never really cared for reading."

"That, Moriah, is something I cannot understand." He flipped to the next page. He was a fast reader.

"Well, it never struck me as something very enjoyable."

"And why is that?"

"Spending all this time reading seems a way of escaping one's own life. That history, for example… none of it matters anymore." I suddenly heard just what I was saying, but it was too late to take it back. No matter how terrible and dim-witted it sounded. "It's finished."

I didn't like the smile Prince David sent me. Too much pride in it, and something against me, I was sure. I felt a frown pull itself over my face, but he just smiled. "That, Moriah, is exactly why I'm reading it. I'm never going to see it for myself."

I sighed and forced a smile. "Of course. You are right. I'm sorry."

"No, you're fine. If you—"

I stood up. "I have some things to which I need to attend. I shall see you at dinner."

Then I left the library, deciding that was our first bad conversation. Couldn't he be a little wittier?

I would find Queen Ella. I liked talking to her.

But before I could find her in my sporadic wandering about the palace, the unthinkable happened. The thing that should have never happened to me, not since the day I was born. It was a message that should have gone to my parents, or even Willow. Not me.

A servant found me just as I was coming through the front yellow hall. "Princess Moriah!" he shouted in a voice that was much too loud for propriety. Still, I was startled enough to stop. He clutched the paper in his hand, a messy shredding of bad parchment. "A messenger just arrived at the gates, Princess," he said. "He said this was for you."

I unraveled the message, read it as quickly as I could, and nearly fainted.

_Moriah,_

_I can only pray this message reaches you in time, because time is something of which I have little. I have been captured, and sadly I have failed to free myself. Please, I need you. Here is the best map I was able to draw._

_Lydia_


	7. Moriah Begins an Adventure

"Moriah?"

The name came like a blast over the head. My heart lurched, and I found myself staring up into the faces of Prince David and Alexander. It was my husband holding a full glass of water. Had he really considered throwing that at me?

"Princess," Alexander said in a hushed voice. He had my hand in his. "Are you all right?"

I nodded, supposing so. Why would I not be fine? Except for the fact that Lydia had sent me some crazy letter. And… and how I had wound up on the floor? I would never forgive myself if I had fainted. Fainting had not been an option. I had only thought about fainting. I had almost fainted. Almost, not doing so. I had never fainted before in my life. So how was I supposed to know what it was like?

"Jesser saw you go down," Prince David said matter-of-factly.

Jesser? Was that the name of the servant? I sat up groggily and realized that Lydia's note was still in my hand. Only now crumpled.

"Let's make sure you haven't hurt yourself, child," Alexander said, grabbing my shoulder. "This is a marble floor, after all."

I didn't feel hurt. "Did I faint?"

Prince David actually laughed. "How else do you think you wound up on the floor?"

I didn't bother looking at him. As my husband, shouldn't he be concerned about me?

"I brought you some water," he continued. "You should sip it. You probably haven't drunk enough water—might have led to your fainting spell."

A lack of water would not have stopped Lydia's message, but I graciously accepted it. It was good and cold, I had to admit.

"Jesser said he delivered you a message," Alexander continued.

Of course. The message. The reason for my first ever fit of fainting. I hoped no one saw. I wasn't sure if I were one of those girls who could fall down gracefully. I nodded and extended the note, which Prince David took and read.

I tried to watch his expression, but as I have said, he was a very fast reader. In a few seconds he was finished.

"Lydia," he murmured. "The sister whom I never had the pleasure of meeting."

I think I had mentioned Lydia once or twice to him. "She's my big sister. She's brave. She knows magic. I don't know how she could have ever been captured."

That's when one glaring possibility hit me. This could all be a horrible ruse Lydia had created. I stared at the note, which Prince David had returned to me. Could it be? Could she honestly be faking this note? But what would be the purpose? Either way, I couldn't tell. I had never received a distress message from her before, and I couldn't be sure if she were serious. If she wanted to sound serious, I was certain she could pretend to be so.

She had told me to run away from this marriage, and I hadn't listened. Suddenly I was angry. Did she truly expect me to join her on some maddening adventure? She had mentioned adventures before, but she had never done anything like this. This was a complete method of evil to get me out to her, where I did not want to be!

On the other hand, if she really were in trouble… but why would she notify me? Mother and Father would die for another grand adventure.

Maybe I should send them the message.

I gritted my teeth. I couldn't. Lydia had sent this message to me.

More evidence she could be lying.

Oh, I had no idea what I was supposed to do!

"We'll gather a team immediately," Prince David was saying. "If anyone is skilled at tracking, they can take a look at this map. Whatever has happened to Princess Moriah's sister, it must be reversed. I will not stand for this happening to the sister of my wife."

I smiled up at him gratefully as Alexander helped me up. There. Prince David would take care of it. If Lydia were in danger, she would be saved. If she weren't, well, then I wouldn't have to go out after her. It was best for all.

Then why did I feel guilty?

"Moriah," Prince David said, taking my arm. "Are you worried about your sister?"

"A little," I confessed. "But she… she has always been able to take care of herself."

He seemed like he wanted to say something more, but he didn't. "Don't worry; I'll take care of everything. She will be fine."

As he marched off with Alexander, I wondered if I should have told him my suspicion of a prank.

What a perfect way to ruin a perfectly good day. I wanted a bath now, one with lavender, something to help me relax. I was in such a daze.

I was almost to my room, not at all watching where I was going, when I brushed shoulders with someone.

"Princess Moriah, excuse me!"

I stopped. It was the servant who had given me Lydia's letter. What had Alexander called him? Jesser. That was it. He was vaguely familiar—I didn't spend lots of time paying attention to the servants. This was the first one, besides my maidens, whom I had really looked at.

He was handsome, very handsome. That realization hit me hard with some embarrassment, after all I had thought about my own husband. His hair was like spun gold—the silliest comparison that popped into my head. And his face was good and… I didn't know what else to say. For a servant, he was very good looking.

"You're feeling better, Princess," he continued, eyes properly lowered to the ground. "I was worried. I informed the Prince as soon as I saw you fall."

"Thank-you, Jesser," I replied. It was proper to know servants' names, I suddenly remembered. I had not been doing very well there. Hardly good etiquette.

"It is good to see you doing well. I did not realize that the message was so distressing."

I didn't need to converse any further with him. He was a but a servant. But there was something about him, very warm, that I liked. Before I knew it, I spoke "It was from my sister, Princess Lydia. She's in trouble."

I expected Jesser to give me the proper sympathy, but he didn't. For an instant, his eyes met mine. His were brown. "Forgive me, Princess, but what are you going to do about it?"

How terribly rude. I stared at him, mouth agape. "Excuse me?"

His gaze fell back to the floor. His face was now red. "I'm so sorry, Princess Moriah. Sometimes I speak too quickly, too boldly. I just thought that you were afraid for your sister."

"I am!"

"I only think that if it were me, I would go after her myself. I would even go after your sister."

How dare he speak to me in such a manner! I felt my face grow hot. "The Prince is seeing to this matter, which is none of your concern."

"I was out of place," he said demurely.

My eyes stung. I realized I was tearing up. "Don't let it happen again." I spun around and marched to my room. I could never let a servant see me cry.

I threw myself onto my bed. I felt sick. My suspicion that Lydia was playing a trick on me was gone. How could I have ever thought such? Lydia would never force me to do anything.

And she was my sister.

How could I do this to my sister?

I thought about it for hours. I don't even know what changed my mind, not for sure. But I suspect it was Jesser. How could he not affect me, a servant behaving so boldly in front of a princess?

Maybe I needed to hear it.

I hated it, however. I hated it. I did not want to go out on a silly adventure. But the more I thought about it, the more plausible ideas for why Lydia had sent the message to came to mind. She wouldn't contact me if she couldn't help it. Perhaps I was her last chance.

Prince David was speaking with the King when I found him. I felt so unlike myself, standing in the doorway as defiant as anything. Like Lydia. Or Mother.

They both looked at me.

"My sister asked for me," I said, my voice shaking. "I must go with the rescue party."

King Theodore looked as if he might faint as well. Prince David looked stunned, but quickly shook his head. "No, no. Never. We don't know what is out there. It's too dangerous, Moriah."

There. That was it. I wasn't allowed to go. Part of me wanted to skip for joy, but the other part of me just thought of Lydia. "David, I must."

"What help would you be?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

It was like a slap in the face, but I held amazingly firm. "She's my sister. If you don't let me, I shall… I shall… run away." I screamed inside my head. What on earth had possessed me to say such a thing?

King Theodore was in absolute shock. As well was I.

But Prince David… he smiled. A smile that made me want to scream aloud. "Moriah, if you run off to rescue Princess Lydia, I would join you. But you and I both know you're not running off. I promise you, my father and I will have the best men on this mission. Don't do something crazy."

And that settled it. I think. In a daze I curtsied, turned, and left the room. I did my best. Prince David had rescued me from doing something stupid. Thank goodness.

I found myself wandering out to one of the gardens, one encircled by roses. It was afternoon, clear and bright, and the scent of the roses was dizzying. I paced the garden, my heart torn in two. It shouldn't be, though. Lydia would be rescued, and I wouldn't have to help rescue her. This was perfect.

But I still felt the same guilt.

Then, out of the blue, a sack fell over my head. I gave a muffled scream and tried to tear it away, but my attacker was too strong. Powerful arms pinned my down, and my feet only barely touched the ground as I was carried away.

It seemed like centuries before the sack was removed. I had calmed down by then, sort of. I was still a panting, crying mess, staring up into the villainous face of…

Jesser.

But he didn't look villainous. He almost seemed terrified, but at the same time… something else.

"Jesser!" I shouted. "How dare you! I'm the princess! Prince David's wife! And you've kidnapped me! You've…"

I had no idea where I was. It could have been on palace grounds, but I had no idea.

"Alexander told me the conversation you had with the Prince," Jesser replied with the smallest of smiles. "Your threat to run away."

Oh, no. It had happened.

"I'm only assisting with that." He grabbed my hands gently and pulled me to my feet. "I shall probably be beheaded, but I couldn't stand the thought of you not rescuing your own sister. I am only assisting."

"Assisting what?" I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear his eyes out.

"The rescue. The Prince's small army which he was arranged will be too slow. I managed a copy of the map."

From Alexander, I presumed. I made a mental note to no longer like that man.

"You and I," Jesser said. "We are going to rescue your sister."


	8. Moriah and the Woods

_Here I am, updating a month later! I'm sorry, but I had a humongous school project, and our swim season was ending. I promise to update faster next time. Thanks so much to everyone who is reading this! I appreciate it more than you will ever know!_

* * *

"We are going to rescue your sister."

I stared hard at Jesser with the angriest face I could muster, which could not amount to much as I had never been very good at evil stares. "How are we going to rescue Lydia without an army? There's just you, and you're nothing but a servant." At the last possible second I wondered if he would take that offensively, but it was the truth. A servant was a servant.

But Jesser only shrugged. "Yes, well, servants are pretty good at listening and sneaking around. You have to be, to work in a royal palace."

I had a sudden vision of servants sneaking around, eavesdropping on every little word I said, the weird conversations I had with Willow and Lydia. Despite myself, I giggled.

"You think that's funny?" He still did not look offended. Just very confused as to why his prisoner was laughing.

I shook my head and stifled the laugh. "No, no. I just had an odd thought, that's all."

"So you don't mind that I kidnaped you."

The laughter completely vanished at that, and I truly think I managed a decent glare. "No. Of course I mind! I am the royal princess, and you have no right to... to..." The obvious answer involved him throwing a sack over my head and carrying me away, but I could not think of a less cumbersome way of saying so.

"Assist Her Highness in rescuing her most royal sister?" Jesser grabbed my hand again and rose it to his mouth as if to kiss it– all the while his eyes, twinkling with an unexpected joviality rested on me.

"How dare you," I missed, tearing my hand back. Something told me, however, that he had no interest in kissing my hand.

"I already explained my desire in helping you, so maybe you should just accept it. Besides, it will only delay us if I take you back to the palace."

The palace. Oh, yes, I had not the faintest idea as to where I was. My heart quickened as I stared around with more interest. No, I did not recognize a single tree. Then again, dusk was setting in. But the palace, certainly I could spot the spires of the palace rising above the trees. No, no, these silly gardens were too wild and bushy for that. "We are still on the grounds, are we not?" I demanded.

Jesser's grin widened. "Princess Moriah, aren't you sure?"

He was teasing me. I did not like to be teased, and I could feel tears burning behind my eyes. "I want to go home, Jesser. I want to go home." Was I speaking of Prince David's palace or my other home?

"I thought you wanted to rescue your sister," he said softly. At least the grin was gone. Heavens, but he could certainly switch a mood and an impression on me.

Lydia. Maybe Lydia really was pranking me. Or maybe she really was in trouble. The tears burst out as I slunk back to the ground.

Above me, Jesser said what I think was a swear word under his breath. "Princess Moriah, please don't do this."

But I couldn't stop. I did not know where I was but that it was dark and I was with a very strange servant. "Prince David will know that I am gone. He'll send someone after me."

Jesser scoffed. Another mood switch. "Your gallant husband is going to send someone after you? No, he won't. He's too busy wasting time planning a too-long rescue."

But he had to.

"Come on, Princess," Jesser said gently. "We have a long way to go."

No, I told myself. I was not going to go anywhere with a servant! I sniffed back the last tears and wiped my eyes. To my horror, I was standing up.

Jesser was already walking away, not that there was much of a trail to walk upon– just a faint gash in the woods. He had traded the odd yellow clothes of the palace for brown pants and a tunic that all looked a lot safer for the woods. A large satchel dangled down his back. And he was whistling. He had just kidnaped a princess and he had the nerve to whistle.

"I'm not going with you!" I heard myself shout.

He stopped and turned back to look at me with mild surprise. "Then I guess I can try to rescue Princess Lydia on my own, though I had really hoped to allow you to come with me. The way I see it, Princess, I am the one serving you. I am your servant."

"Then take me back!"

"That would take too long, I'm afraid."

I took a deep breath. I did not want to panic again. "How can we possibly rescue my sister?" I knew the answer before I had finished voicing the question. Mother had rescued Father, after all– and completely single-handedly.

"We'll figure it out when it truly gets to that point. Now come on, we can't spend the night in woods that are haunted."

"Haunted? Now that is just foolish. They are not haunted." But I suddenly was not so sure. "Jesser, I don't care if you want to rescue my sister. In fact, I am very touched that you would do so. But I must let you know that I would be absolutely no help whatsoever and you best understand that now."

But Jesser just resumed walking.

I could not believe this was happening to me. But Jesser could not have carried me very far. I was still on the palace grounds. I had to be. And the palace grounds were certainly not haunted.

Jesser was a poor villain indeed if he couldn't be bothered with tying me or doing something to make sure I stayed with him. Why, I did not have to follow him. I could turn around and find my way back to the palace. Prince David had to notice I was missing by now.

So I did. I turned around and walked the opposite way into the trees.

No, they were not haunted. I had to admit that the darkness and the trees were tantalizing to the darker side of my imagination, but if I kept myself focused on finding the palace I could not be scared. Besides, I was too old to be afraid of such things. Willow, on the other hand, would no doubt be throwing a fit. Ghosts and fairies did not exist.

The moon soon showed its brightness. Suddenly the trees were rather pretty. Very lovely, in fact. But it was still night, and I was in the trees. By myself. If Mother or Father heard a word about this, I would never hear the end of it. Well, all I was doing was escaping from a kidnapper.

I heard a crunch ahead of me. Movement. Good, the guards out searching for me. Excellent that they would come.

"I'm right here!" I called loudly. "It is I, Princess Moriah! I'm perfectly all right, though I demand that we behead the servant Jesser as soon as he re–"

It was not a guard nor was it Prince David. It was an old woman. Her face was round and soft with fine wrinkles. Her eyes were wide and staring, with a slight mist over one. Her hair hung down her back in wild gray snarls. Her entire skinny body was wrapped in a gray cloak.

It was a veritable storybook hag.

No, no, I could not think that way. It was probably some crazy old biddy who lived in the kitchens. Yes, that was it.

She stared at me, her mouth curling into a smile. Fortunately it was a kind smile.

"Hello," I said nervously. "I'm Princess Moriah."

The woman seemed to think. "Never heard of you, dearie."

Of course knowledge of me could not be expected of crazy old biddies living in the kitchens. "I am Prince David's wife."

She nodded, smile remaining. "Never heard of him. Sorry, young lady."

Oh, how I wished for a knowledgeable and sane guard! "Do you know how to get to the palace from here?"

"Palace?" she echoed. "What palace?"

"Why, the royal palace of Rantolia. The..." I paused, trying to think of best to describe the palace. "The really big house."

"I know what a palace is, dearie," she snapped. "I've seen a hundred palaces before you were born. Some of them were real beauties, let me tell you." She chuckled to herself. "The palace of Rantolia, yes, it does have its good qualities. Quite a garden, let me tell you. Children like you just don't appreciate gardens anymore, with all the goodness they have. Some say it's enchanted. Was enchanted by witches. Do you believe in witches, my dear? They're not evil, so you shouldn't be scared of them. Well, I suppose some of them are evil, just like some people are evil. You really can't say one way or the other all the time, but I suppose most of them are decent folk... what were you saying about the palace?"

"There's a palace near here," I insisted desperately. My only was that this woman was crazy. And that she knew where I was. "How do I get to it?"

The old woman's smile changed. "I know perfectly well how to get there, child. But I won't be telling you, because you won't be going there for quite some time."

"What do you mean?"

"For one thing, it's much too far for a little thing like you, especially at this hour. And for another..." She held up her gnarled old fingers and snapped.

The ground beneath me vanished. I felt like I was leaping into a stream. I screamed as my body and my beautiful dress plunged down into sand.

Quicksand, I thought. Willow had read plenty on quicksand. I looked up, but the old woman was gone. I screamed again and whipped my arms at the earth, but I only sank faster.

I was going to die. I was going to die horribly and never be seen again. Unless... "Jesser!" I screamed.

But he was already there. Or, more accurately, a giant limp was almost stabbing me through the head.

"Grab on!" Jesser's voice yelled. I could see him from the corner of my eye.

I wrapped my arms around the tree limb and squeezed my eyes shut as Jesser pulled me to solid ground.

"Are you all right, Princess?" he murmured as he helped scoop mud from my body.

I nodded, though I did not feel all right. "There... there was this horrid old woman, Jesser! She made the quicksand appear. She tried to kill me."

I almost expected him to deny it, but instead he said nothing.

Neither did I. Not caring how filthy I was or that I didn't have a bed, I immediately fell asleep with Jesser's jacket as my pillow.


	9. A Bath

_Yes, I'm back! Sorry for the delay!_

* * *

I awoke the next morning to the smell of something disgusting cooking. I opened my eyes and immediately closed them against the harsh sunlight. Who know the deep woods could be so bright in the morning?

"Good morning, Princess!"

I suddenly realized that I was lying on hard ground. I forced myself up and groaned. Every part of me was stiff. Every part of me hurt horribly. I stretched out my arms and screamed.

I had forgotten all about the quicksand.

"All right, then. Not a good morning." Jesser sat a few feet away over a small fire. Yes, he had built a campfire, right in the ground, just like Lydia used to do. Over it was something unrecognizable on a stick. "There's a stream nearby, if you want to wash."

I glared at him. Stupid little servant, daring to tell me where to wash. "I want to go home! This is not funny anymore! Prince David will want to know where I am!"

He pulled the strange stuff from the fire and studied it. "Princess Moriah, we are much too far to return. We covered a lot of ground yesterday."

"You covered a lot of ground," I muttered. "I had nothing to do with it. You kidnapped me. And then that old woman tried to kill me." I sighed. "Who was she?"

Jesser shrugged. "Probably a ghost."

"A ghost?!" And he had to say it so nonchalantly.

"I told you that these woods were haunted."

I tried to finger-comb my hair and realized it was glued together with mud. Maybe I would have to bathe in the stream. "I didn't think I believed in ghosts."

Jesser laughed and took a bite of whatever was on the stick. He actually smiled as he ate it. It was rather impressive. "There are a lot of things people don't believe in that they should."

Like getting back home. I felt glum inside. That was never going to happen again. If I ran away from Jesser, a ghost or a witch would get me, and he certainly was not going to take me back. "Where are we?"

"Ten miles from Rantolia."

Ten miles! The hag had had been right. I never would have been able to walk ten miles. "You carried me ten miles?"

His face lit up as he replied. "You're very light, Princess."

I felt myself blush. I wasn't sure if it were a compliment or not, but I blushed just the same.

"I'm pretty strong, anyway. And I'm a fast runner. You have to be that way to be a servant. Now according to the map your sister left—"

I had forgotten about the map.

"—it should be a few weeks' journey. If we start immediately."

"A few weeks?" I felt sick. Oh, how I wanted to go home. "You would go much faster if I were not with you."

"Princess Moriah, we have already been through this." It was almost a threat. "You will be coming."

Lydia. I just had to think of Lydia. "May I have something to eat first? Before we start on this incredible journey?"

He paused, then handed me the stuff on a stick.

I made a face. "What is this?"

"Squirrel."

I refused to take it. "You killed a cute little squirrel?"

"It was chewing on your hair all night. I thought that would make you furious."

I almost screamed again. An animal. On my hair. "It was what?"

He nodded. "Like I said, Princess, you are more than welcome to bathe in the stream."

Wasn't he afraid I would run off again?  
As if reading my mind, he continued "I'm sure the ghosts will aid me in keeping you near."

"You'll spy on me," I snapped.

The expression on Jesser's face was enough to almost make me laugh. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"Because you kidnapped me. The Prince's wife." I thought it was fairly obvious. "You can be capable of everything else, for all I know."

He held up his hand. "I vow that I will stay right here until you have returned."

For some strange reason, I trusted him.

I found the stream a short while off, protected by enough trees to keep anyone from spying unless they directly came up. I stood on the shore, feeling disgusting and still aching from the night spent on the ground. The water was moving, and it looked dirty. I didn't trust standing on the bottom.

But if a squirrel had been in my hair… I began to cry silently. How had I been reduced to this?

I stepped into the water. It was freezing. But I had to get clean. Teeth chattering, I moved in further. It wasn't too horrible after a minute or so. I knelt down, letting the water rush over my back. The water before me became opaque with mud. I was filthy. I pulled off my dress and wrung it in the water. I wasn't sure how to wash clothes, but I figured it was good enough. I could see the mud coming loose.

"Moriah!"

I screamed. Jesser had promised to not come. The dress came loose from my hands during the shock, so I didn't even have that with which to cover myself.

Except it wasn't Jesser.

There, on the shore, dressed in his usual hunting clothes, was Prince David.

I gawked, suddenly wishing I had my dress more than ever. It had caught on a rock a few feet away. My face burning, I stumbled toward it. I fell.

Prince David was already in the water, splashing toward me. He did not look happy. "What are you doing out here?"

"Prince David, please don't look," I begged.

"For crying out loud, you scared me! Disappearing like that." He grabbed my dress and handed it to me after I had pulled myself up. "I don't care if you're dressed or not right now. After all, we are married."

Like I needed that reminder. I pulled the dress back over my head. "It was not my fault. One of the servants captured me. Kidnapped me."

"Kidnapped you?" He paused, his hand on my arm.

I nodded. I was suddenly very glad Prince David was here. He would take me home. "It was awful. I told him you wouldn't let me go, but he didn't listen."

"Moriah, I didn't want you out here."

"I know. But it wasn't my fault."

"There is no plan for rescuing your sister. All we did was worry about you. We spent the night looking for you."

"And you came this far?" I asked.

"I'm a pretty decent tracker," he muttered.

"What about Lydia?"

"Your sister." He closed his eyes and sighed. His round face suddenly looked very serious. "We'll… we'll figure out something. Don't worry. You just scared me, so I couldn't think. We'll just get you home."

I threw my arms around him. "Thank-you."

"And this servant will be thrown into prison."


	10. Moriah is Tricked

"And this servant will be thrown into prison."

I wasn't quite sure what to think of that. Yes, I, Princess Moriah of Rantolia, had been kidnapped. Such a thing was certainly very much frowned upon, to be certain. Why, if I had heard of a princess being snatched from her own land, I would sentence the abductor to torture or a very nasty form of death involving white horses and a barrel full of nails. But Jesser? Jesser had not been extremely cruel to me. Not nice, but not cruel. I had never before been kidnapped, so I did not know how I was supposed to feel.

"Prison?" I echoed. I pulled my arms away from Prince David. "Why are you throwing him into prison?"

Prince David's expression was difficult to read. If I didn't know any better, I would have almost sworn he was smiling somewhere beneath his angry exterior. "You just told me he kidnapped you. I can't let servants be kidnapping my wife every time my back is turned."

"You certainly did not do very much to protect me before!"

"I was worried about other things, Moriah!"

I sighed. That was right. Lydia. Prince David had worried more about rescuing Lydia than me. No, that was no way to think. I wanted Lydia to be safe more than he did. "He wasn't that mean to me. He didn't do anything."

Prince David rolled his eyes and tried to put his hands on my shoulders, but I just shrugged them off. "Moriah, he kidnapped you! You are my wife and the princess of our new allied kingdom as well as our princess and the future queen of Rantolia. He must be punished."

Of course, of course. I gritted my teeth and stared down at the water still dripping down my dress and legs. "I just want to go home. Do whatever you want with Jesser."

"Jesser?" Prince David repeated. "Is that his name?"

Jesser deserved whatever happened to him. And I was sure the prison guards would not be too horrible to him. I nodded. "Yes," I said. "His name is Jesser. He kidnapped me because he thinks I should come with him to rescue Princess Lydia. You do remember my sister Lydia, don't you?"

Prince David gave a dry laugh and shook his head. "The cause of all of this. Yes, Moriah, I promise you she will be rescued. You can trust me on this."

I know I should have been relieved. Prince David apparently had the ability to track me a whole ten miles, so certainly he could rescue my sister. Jesser would be punished for kidnapping me, and I would go home and wait for Lydia to return safely. Everything would be all right. I would boss around my silly ladies-in-waiting and finish a lovely tapestry. "Thank-you."

"Good," he replied. "Now let's get you to a horse and back home where we can get you cleaned up."

A bath, a real bath, sounded wonderful. Prince David put his arm around me. "Now where is this Jesser?"

Jesser was finishing off his squirrel by the time we appeared. At the sight of Prince David he leapt to his feet, face pale with shock. "Your Highness!"

I felt the muscles in Prince David's arm tighten. He was stronger than for what I had given him credit. "You dare show respect to me now? After what you have done?"

"Prince David, I only wished to help—"

"And you helped by kidnapping my wife? Your princess?"

I flinched, expecting the two men to throw themselves at each other in one of those crazy brawls Lydia always talked about. I wondered who would win.

Jesser took a deep breath that brought in the very essence of humility, and shook his head. "Well, Prince, in my defense, she was exceedingly easy to kidnap."

I gasped. "How dare you say such a thing!"

And then, as if the whole world had gone mad, both Jesser and Prince David burst into laughter.

"Jesser, I never once gave you permission to kidnap her!" Prince David said jovially. "Where on earth did you get such an idea?"

"Like I said, I truly felt she should be involved in this." Jesser tossed the grubby bone from the squirrel at Prince David's feet.

"I know, I know, we had that argument already and I told you she had no desire to go? Isn't that right, Moriah?" His round face peered down at me, questioning.

"Of course that's right!" I couldn't describe my tone to myself. I didn't know what to feel. They had tricked me! Prince David had all but known what was going on! And I still didn't! "I can't rescue my sister! I want to go home!" I wanted that more than ever at this point.

"See?" Prince David acted as if he were proving some grand point. "See? She did not want you kidnapping her, and neither did I. I don't care what you think. Jesser, I should throw you in the dungeon for this."

Jesser scoffed. "You would never throw me in the dungeon, David."

It was unbelievable. They were talking as if they were old friends. "What is going on?" I demanded.

"Moriah, please do not be mad," Prince David began.

I was already mad. I pushed myself away from him. I was mad I had married him. "You knew it was him that kidnapped me and you didn't do anything until this morning?"

"I only highly suspected it was Jesser who kidnapped you."

"And you let him do it?" I screeched. "David, I was scared! I had the worst night imaginable!"

Prince David looked pleadingly at Jesser. Pleadingly? Why? Prince David was the prince! "Jesser, you terrified her."

Jesser shrugged. "I thought it was funny. And you thought it would be funny, too."

"I never meant you to actually do it!"

"Behead him," I demanded. "Have him killed."

"Moriah," Prince David said. "I can't have him killed. He's my cousin."

Things couldn't possibly get any worse. I was standing in the woods in a wet dress learning that my husband and my kidnapper had both lied to me. I was furious. "What do you mean?"

With a grin the size of the sun Jesser bent forward in the most graceful bow I could ever imagine. "I failed to introduce myself properly. I'm actually not a servant."

"Moriah," Prince David began grandly. "May I introduce you to my cousin Prince Jesser? He is the son of my mother's brother, King Nicholas of Awsoander."

I wasn't sure how to take that in. I had never heard of the country. Then again, I had never been good at politics and maps and such things. "Then why were you pretending to be a servant?"

Jesser and Prince David both shrugged, and the expression on their faces told me that they had absolutely to real answer to that.

"It's fun," Jesser said. "And it worked. You believed I was a servant."

I wanted to kick something. I wanted to kick both of them. "You were playing games with me when my sister needs to be rescued. How dare you!" I wanted to cry, but I was too angry. "I just want to go home, and then you can both, whoever you are, go rescue Princess Lydia."

"Of course you'll go home," Prince David said. "But… since this idiot has brought it up, are you sure you want to go home now?"

I nodded. I was not made for adventures.

He glared at Jesser. "That settles it. This is not for her. She doesn't understand these pranks of yours, either. She doesn't need to be out here and she can't help find her sister. I'll take her home."

I froze. He made it sound like I was incapable of helping. I wouldn't be good at it, yes, but incapable? Was it because I was already mad? Had Jesser warped my mind too much? I hated to think my family had anything to do with it. "I can help!"

Both men turned to stare at me. I repeated myself again. "I can help. I can help find my sister. She's my sister."

Now they just stared at each other. I tried to stay firm.

Jesser smiled warmly at me and shook his head. "David is right, Princess."

Where had his confidence in me gone? It just made things worse. "I changed my mind. I don't want to go home."

Prince David actually looked sick.

"Moriah," Jesser began.

I shook my head, though part of me was screaming. Well, of course I wouldn't go the whole way. One of them could take me home tomorrow. But I could help get them started. "I want to rescue my sister. Jesser, I thought you were going to help me."

"Moriah, I really didn't mean—"

I glared up at Prince David. "You can go back to the palace and finish getting the search party or whatever you want to create organized. I shall start on this."

He shook his head. "No."

How dare he! I had never felt so stubborn. "I'm going! Jesser, let's go."

"No," Prince David repeated. "I'm coming."

I was too mad at him for him to come. "What did you say?"

"I told you, Moriah. If you felt like running off to rescue Princess Lydia, I would join you."


	11. An Agreement is Reached

_Okay... it's been about three years since I've updated this story. During that time, I haven't been on this site. But, well, I'm in college now and while my my major is Physical Education I still found myself in a creative writing class. And I thought "Hey, I should go back to that one site and work on that one story and get in some practice and maybe get some outside-of-class feedback._

_I'm not going to summarize this. If you still remember every detail after three years, you're a stalker who is obsessed with me. So if you haven't read this recently, please go back and catch up. If you're new and I imagine most of you will be new, welcome and I hope you enjoy. Please comment, good or bad._

_Oh, and I don't know what this beta thing is. So if you catch any errors, please point them out to me. I hope I don't have too many._

* * *

My dress was still very much wet. Wet clothes are no good at improving my mood. I was, in no particular order, wet, cold, tired, confused, and angry. Yesterday Prince David had said he could come with me if I left to find Lydia. He had said it with clear sarcasm and nastiness, mere words to an irritating wife. I hadn't been thought suited for politics, but I could pick up at least that much of human behavior.

And yet here he was, actually following through on his words.

I should have been flattered. And yes, my heart did do a tiny flip in jubilee of such a noble gesture. At least my husband was honest and trustworthy.

Too bad I was still mad at him.

"You tricked me," I said, resisting the urge to stamp my foot. "David, you tricked me."

Jesser gently raised his hand. "Princess, I was the one to kidnap you. A bigger trick than my cousin's."

It was at this time I realized just how insane was this conversation. Here we were, standing out in the middle of the trees an entire ten miles away from the palace, arguing over who would rescue my possibly-already-dead sister. The sensible part of me wanted so badly to just end it. Be practical. Find a way to make us all reasonable happy and return to the rescue of Lydia.

But, once again, I was wet and miserable. I whirled to face Jesser, my finger already pointed at his irritatingly handsome face. "I'm mad at you, too!"

That immediately quieted him.

This wasn't like me. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and waited for the old Moriah to slowly return. She took her time about it. I could just imagine David and Jesser staring at me. At least they were silent. I needed the silence.

Finally, I opened my eyes. Yes, the men were staring at me. Jesser looked uncomfortable, David just looked mad.

"David," I said softly. "Please. If you care for me, go home and put together a plan. You're the reader. You're smart. You can find a way to rescue her. If you trust Jesser, send him ahead with me. I know I should stay at the palace, but… Lydia is my big sister and… I can't explain it. I have to go for her." I sniffed. I did not want to cry in front of either of them. "She would want me to."

The anger faded from David's face. Annoyance replaced it. "Moriah, no. I can't. I told you I would come with you. I'm going to come with you. I would trust Jesser with my life and certainly with you, but… what kind of man just lets his wife run out into the countryside?"

He was doing this for his own honor. The thought was both kind and selfish.

"I'm your husband," he continued sternly. "I say that I'm coming."

I nodded meekly, thinking of how anyone else in my family would probably have spat at him.

"Good. Jesser, there's a guard back toward the road. We'll ask him to return to the palace and bring us back some supplies."

"Dresses," I replied instinctively. "I'll need something to wear."

David gave a brief smile. "All right, then. Dresses. Any particular ones?"

I shrugged. I suddenly felt silly for wanting dresses. Who took dresses when traveling? Even I knew that much. But I wanted them. "Have Ella pick a few out. Your mother has wonderful taste."

"Dresses, then," Jesser said. The laugh was barely hidden in his throat. "Horses. David, I'll go through your weapons… eh, I'll just shut up now. I know what you need. I'll be right back."

David and I were silent after Jesser left. I did not know what else to say.

"Jesser has been on many expeditions," he finally said. "He's an expert."

"He put a bag over my head and carried me off. Doesn't that make you mad?"

"Actually, I think it's kind of funny." But he didn't laugh.

"There was a witch." I shivered at the memory. "She made me fall in quicksand."

"Your bad night, huh." He took a few steps toward me. "Moriah, I had no idea. I mean, I had always heard about witches living out here but… did Jesser rescue you?"

I nodded and hugged my chest.

"He's very strong that way."

"David, it was awful." Sniffing back another round of tears I fell into him. At least he would hug me. Even if I were mad at him.

He did hug me. It was nice. That was David. Nice. Except when he was bossing me around. "I had no idea it would go this far."

"I just want to find Lydia," I muttered. "David, I'm sorry I awful yesterday. That's usually not me."

"I know. You're a very sweet girl."

I released myself from him. He seemed glad I did, but I didn't care. The feeling was more or less mutual. I had just wanted a hug. "Jesser has a copy of the map."

He nodded. "I already studied it. In fact…" He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a bronze round object.

"What's that?"

He flipped it open to reveal a blood-red needle.

"I still don't know it is."

The look he gave me was pitying. "It's a compass, Moriah. Have you ever seen one?"

"I've heard of them." I felt stupid. Willow or Lydia would have known.

"It points north. According to your sister's map…" He rested the compass in his palm and did an awkward body spin. "We need to go that way."

"Jesser said it was weeks away."

"Yes. Hence the reason I sent for supplies. I always want to be prepared."

"Thank goodness for you, then. I don't think Jesser had much of anything."

"Jesser spends a lot of time in the outdoors," David explained as he slipped the compass back into his pocket. "He's a survivalist. Make do with the least amount possible."

"But you hunt sometimes," I pointed out.

He shrugged. "I prefer to have what I need."

Silence returned. I found myself thinking of Jesser. When would he return? He was, I had to admit, entertaining.

"So you met a witch," David said. "What was she like?"

"Ugly," I said. "Like a hag." I imitated her hair with my hands. "Something out of a storybook."

"At least all she did was attack you with quicksand."

"What do you mean?"

"She could have easily made frogs and toads spill from your mouth." He said that a little too eagerly for my taste, and I reeled back in disgust. "I remember when I was a kid and we'd come camping out here. Sometimes you'd see the witches in the trees…"

"Did one ever talk to you?" I asked, suddenly intrigued.

He nodded, eyes glowing. "Yes! It was about six years ago, actually. I was out here and she asked me if I had any food to spare. And I did, and, well, you know how much I like to eat—"

I groaned and closed my eyes. "Please tell me you didn't refuse her!" Though that would make the story more interesting.

"Actually, I didn't refuse her."

I frowned. I hadn't realized I had been smiling in anticipation, but now I frowned. "That's…"

"That's what?"

"Boring."

"Probably. She didn't look like she really wanted the cheese and apple pie I gave her. They were good, too. But she took them and then conjured up a swarm of hornets to chase me back home."

I laughed.

"What's so funny?" Jesser came walking through the trees, looking as flippant as he had when he had kidnapped me. "Well, cousin, supplies are in the process of arriving. Just remember that I am also royalty and therefore you get to do the next task."

"I thought you liked giving commands."

'True," he said thoughtfully. "I do like giving commands. That is good."

And suddenly I no longer existed. Jesser and David set to their own conversation, one that didn't involve me.

Was this what a wild adventure looked like? Standing about waiting for supplies? No one in my family would have stood for this!

And they were ignoring me.

No. That wasn't true.

Jesser shot me the briefest glance, complete with a smile, before he turned away.

I felt my knees go weak.


	12. Another Witch

I was evil. Were my mother around she would tear into me about just how evil I was in such thoughts. A handsome smile, a snarky tongue, all put together in a package at which I should not even be looking. He was not that attractive, was he? But I was married and I was if nothing else a good girl. Court writers would be delighted by telling this, the lovely princess sitting all by herself in the middle of the woods while her husband's cousin did nothing more than exist.

And that was I, though I doubt any court writer would mention how sick to my stomach such a princess would be. I had never been good with nausea, but neither man looked at me while we waited for supplies. When supplies came, dutifully delivered by David's servants, they continued to ignore me. No doubt it was for the best. My face burned and I could hardly stand to glance at either of them. So David and Jesser just chatted away as they flung about travel necessities while I sat there. What good was it to be pretty if no would look at me? If Jesser wouldn't look at me.

I pushed that thought away. Jesser had looked at me once. So what if he were handsome… I shook my head.

"Moriah?"

My inward dilemma was interrupted by David, who must have repeated my name several times. My head jerked up, and for a moment we just stared at each other. My face must have been ridiculously red. "Yes?"

He did not seem concerned about anything spinning through my head. "Your horse. Jesser wants to set out."

Of course he did. Survivalist. I stood up and stared at a white horse being held by a servant.

"Your things, your dresses, are ready," David continued. He held out his hand, and I took it. He led me over to the horse and helped me up.

"Thank-you."

He just smiled. His cute little smile. "Moriah, are you sure about this?"

"Very sure. I just keep thinking how my sister would love the story of me doing this."

"And thus shall she be rescued!" Jesser shouted. He was already on horseback, his steed trotting around, probably desperate to leave.

My heart flipped in my chest. I didn't not know if it were from the sudden terror of just what I was doing or… Jesser. Ugh, I was evil! "Yes. Yes, we will."

Neither of them heard the panic in my voice that was so loud and clear to me.

But I could control my thoughts and feelings, apparently. It was a lovely day, now that I was in a place that did not seem to terrify Jesser or David, and soon I could put away the thought that there was anything even remotely pleasing about Jesser's face. He had kidnapped me, the jerk. I wanted nothing to do with him. So, I told myself that, and the next few hours became a rather happy stream of the gentle trot of the horse and the scent of the breeze. And that was that. I must say, adventures were boring.

My thoughts eventually turned to Lydia. I could not help but be amazed that she had been captured. By anyone. Lydia was fierce and beautiful and nothing could stop her. Which meant it must have been terrible. Could Jesser do anything about whatever horrible person/monster/dragon had captured Lydia?

The sun had began to dip down for afternoon when Jesser finally spoke. "I think it's another witch." His voice was little more than hiss, a message meant just for David.

I had to admit I did panic. Quite panicked. I just had a bad run-in with a witch hours before, and so a scream was not necessarily out of the question. And so it was that I had my husband, his cousin, and a hideous old hag turned to start at me.

It was not the same witch. This one was skinny and elfish with hair that was positively green. I had to admit, grudgingly, she looked much kinder.

"Hello, Prince David, Prince Jesser," said the witch in a voice that might as well belong to a little girl of Willow's age. "How are you this fine day?"

"Fine, thank-you," David said with perfect sincerity. Such diplomacy to a clear witch.

"How kind," she replied as she twisted at her cane. "Much kinder than the other prince."

Jesser frowned.

"Now, obviously you are on some sort of journey," she continued, "so I think it would be wise that you ask me for my blessing."

"You threw my wife into quicksand," David said.

I wondered if I should say something, but I did not dare interrupt him.

The witch looked at me as if considering me for modeling a dress she had made. I decided this witch was much kinder than the other. "Not that one. Did I, dearie?"

"No, you did not, ma'am." I tried not to look at David.

"I guess we made a mistake then." David certainly looked at me.

"It was a different witch!" I blurted out.

"Well, that explains a lot. My apologies, madame."

She just laughed and waved her hand. "No, that's fine, young prince. I have many sisters in this part of the world, and some are crankier than others. You don't look much worse for the wear, Princess Moriah."

"Well, can we have your blessing, then?" asked Jesser.

The witch laughed again. "Are you sure you will humble yourself enough for it?"

"Are you a real witch?"

Another laugh.

The woman was nuts.

"All right, then, if you are sure, Prince Jesser. You have my blessing."

It was rather dull, a witch giving a blessing.

"Thank-you," said David, ever the diplomat. "Now we must be on our way. Any gold for your trouble?"

It was humiliating watching my husband give out gold to a woman who was probably wise enough to get by without it. I had at least learned that much from my parents. But she took it, peaceably enough, and let us pass.

My horse had just barely come past her when she said my name. I stopped.

"Princess, I have something for you." She handed me three walnuts.

"Food?" I asked, confused.

"No."

"What, then?"

"You'll see, dearie."

I slid the walnuts into my bag. "Thank-you."


	13. Moriah Does Something Stupid

"What did she give you?" David asked as I caught up with him and Jesser.

"She didn't give me anything," I heard myself say.

He eyes me curiously. "Are you sure?"

I thought of the walnuts in my bag. Sitting there, mixing with all my other things. "She just spoke to me, David. That was it. She's very nice."

"You've never had to deal with the witches around here."

"Have you?"

Jesser laughed. "She has you there. When was the last time you fought a witch?"

David frowned. "We don't fight them. We just avoid them."

"You should just have them cleared from the kingdom. That would solve the entire problem of the old hags throwing your princess into mud."

I shuddered. I still hated that mud.

"You're no worse for the wear, are you, Moriah?" David said.

I nodded.

"Because you still could head back to the palace. Take a real bath. Wait for us."

"I don't think you've listened a word I've said."

He shrugged and turned back to riding.

And that was my trip. Even David and Jesser were silent to each other. I felt ignored. Of course, I was always ignored and that was just fine with me. It was almost a relief when we made camp, but even that was done in complete silence.

Which was a little disturbing. They actually expected me to camp in the woods. Again. Had not the night before been enough?

I stood next to my horse and stared in horror as David and Jesser rolled out blankets and things that vaguely looked to be beds. "You don't expect me to sleep here, do you?"

"At least you have a bed tonight," Jesser said with a grin.

"That's not a bed."

"You slept on dirt last night."

"Here," said David. "I've it all ready for you." He gestured at a lump of blankets and pads on the ground.

I looked at him. "Please don't make me sleep there."

He rolled his eyes. "Moriah, you're the one that wanted to go. I told you should go back, but you're the one that wanted to do this. Your own personal little adventure."

I wanted a bed. "Did you bring me a nightgown?"

"It's in your bag."

One of my nightdresses shoved unceremoniously in my bag. I sighed, pulled it out and slipped behind a tree to change. It was one of my favorite night gowns, too nice for the woods. A present from David. Sweet of him to bring it, I suppose. I returned to find David already lying down on the barbaric pile of blankets. I slid into next to him, grateful for his warmth. "Thanks for letting me come on this," I said.

"No problem." He kissed my cheek.

"Goodnight."

And that was that.

Hours later I awoke to someone whispering my name. Female.

I sat up quickly. Lydia? It sounded just like Lydia. I peered into the trees. There was someone there.

Oh boy. Lydia.

David was fast asleep, and I assumed the same of Jesser. Careful not to disturb David, I climbed to my feet and set into the woods.

Incredibly stupid of me. Any woman in my family would not have been nearly so stupid.

"Grab her!" a man hissed.

And once more, I was abducted.


	14. The Unicorn Hunters

Unlike Jesser, my new abductors were noisy. Very noisy. Which I supposed was a good thing except I already knew David to be a very heavy sleeper. There was still hope for Jesser. Maybe. But as a gag was stuffed into my mouth, my wrists were tied, and I was thrown over the shoulder of someone and the blabbed on about how easy it had been to catch me and there seemed to be no sound of David or Jesser I became incredibly disappointed. And irritated. They had gone on and on about my safey and yet were so far improving incapable of protecting me.

There were four of them. It was too dark to make much of their features, but they biggest one was carrying me in that horribly awkward fashion and I could feel his beard scratching against my leg.

"A princess," another one was saying with a nasally voice. "Not just any princess, but Princess Moriah who is destined to be Queen. Queen potential doesn't make a difference, does it?"

"No," said the man carrying me. "Just has to be a maiden."

"She's not a maiden. She's married."

"Well, we can test her out anyway. Maybe the beast won't know the difference. It's just a dumb animal."

I really did not like the way they were talking. What animal? And what did my lack of maidenhood have to do with anything? I tried to spit out the gag. It tasted awful and was definitely not clean. I also tried to kick and hit but I had never really been suited to kicking and hitting. And the men just laughed at my futile attempts anyway.

This was humiliating. Draped over a shoulder like some common game sack. What was I, a dead duck they had shot down? And where was David and Jesser?

"She'll work. They love princesses. Nothing lovelier than a lovely princess," said another.

And that's when I realized one my captors was female. The one I had mistaken for Lydia. How could I have been so stupid? She sounded nothing like Lydia. She was youngish, definitely, but not Lydia.

"So, Princess Moriah?" the woman said. "Are you comfortable? Thanks for getting out of your… bed for us. Though I know sleeping on the ground is certainly not very comfortable. It made things so much easier for us. What do you say to that?"

I was not going to lose my dignity and attempt to speak. If I could see where she was, I could have glared at her. I could manage a good glare. But it was dark and I was stupid and I was not being rescued.

Finally they dumped me on the ground. Did not set me down gracefully. Dumped me. I sat up with not a little pain and tried again to spit out the gag. I had landed on the bumpy roots of a tree where there was way too much dirt. It was on the edge of a clearing, where a small fire glowed peacefully. It would have been a charming little campfire if it were not for my abductors

One knelt down in front of me, a knife in one hand, and grinned. He was missing a good deal of teeth. "Princess Moriah," he said, revealing himself as the man with the nasally voice. "Welcome."

I gave a muffled squeak as the knife went toward my hands, but all it did was cut the rope. My hands fell apart, wrists throbbing. I pulled out the gag. "I want to go back!"

"You will," said another man. He was old and would have been kind-looking—if he hadn't helped abduct me. "You will. Soon, hopefully. In fact, I'd like to have you back there sometime tomorrow, if your party hasn't moved on."

"They wouldn't move on without me."

"I know. You're the wife of Prince David. I probably should inform you that he doesn't have the greatest respect out here. Bumbling, bookish fool. Oh, well. You'll return to his side."

The woman threw off her hood and black hair tumbled down her shoulders. She was quite pretty. "Don't upset her about her husband, Papa. She's hardly past the bride stage, so I hear. Personally, I think the other traveling companion is much more handsome." She winked at me.

"How dare you speak of them in such ways," I said firmly, while secretly cringing at having had the same thoughts about Jesser. "They'll come for me."

"Maybe," she continued. "And hopefully you will have helped us out before then."

Help. All they wanted was help. All right. I would be dutiful if it would get me out of their clutches. "What help do you need?"

The big man who had carried me smiled happily.

"Unicorn," said the old man. "We're hunting unicorns. And we need a woman's help. Then we heard rumor the Prince and Princess were traveling out this way and we thought what better assistance than a princess? And then you so gracefully came to Eva when she called to you."

I didn't mention that I had thought she was my sister. "Why doesn't Eva get the unicorn?"

The big man laughed. A very odd laugh.

Eva blushed, but grinned in spite of it.

"I'm… unable to attract a unicorn."

"I'm married," I said.

"We're hoping the Princess thing works. Unicorns love princesses more than pretty much anything," Eva said. "But I'm just a commoner. Worth nothing." She said it with pride.

"Why are you hunting unicorns?" I didn't know much about them except they preferred the company of beautiful maidens. Not married women.

"Profit, of course," said the nasally man. "Why else? The horns are worth a fortune, the hairs fetch quite a pretty penny themselves."

Now I wasn't Lydia or Willow with the wild appreciation for nature, but my mouth dropped open in shock. "You're going to kill one?"

"Not kill," said the older man. "What do you think we are? Monsters? So what we're doing isn't exactly what you might call ethical in the treatment of magical creatures especially of the unicorn's purity, but we're not going to intentionally kill something. Do you have any idea how much bad luck it is to kill a unicorn? I'd probably have the queen of fairies or something after me for all I know. That's the last thing I need."

"We do it all the time," Eva explained. "Since I became pretty much useless, we hire other girls to get them for us. Then Jack here ropes them and reins them in, cuts off the corn, trims some hairs…don't look at me like that, they're going to shed the horns anyway and grow others very quickly. It's not a big deal."

I still couldn't shake away the horror. "And what do you do with them?"

"Sell them. There's a wonderful black market out there," said Eva's father.

Great. I had just been dragged into crime. I wanted to cry, but didn't like how that would look. It didn't matter. I cried anyway.

Eva sighed and sat down next to me. "Don't worry, Princess. It's not a big deal. And if you're unable to catch a unicorn, you'll go right back to where you were, no harm done. Just keeping in mind you can't tell your husband about us."

I nodded. These people scared me.

"Good. You're so agreeable. I like that. Now stand up. There's a pond a way's away where they like to come and drink at sunrise." And without giving me a chance to stand up on my own she pulled me up by my arm and pushed me ahead of her.

The ground was covered with rocks and pine needles. "My feet hurt."

"Sensitive princess feet," Jack said with a cruel laugh. "Have you never gone outside?"

Not as much as other princesses. "Not without shoes."

"Of course," Eva muttered. "Darien, pick her up."

"No, that's—" Before I could finish my protest the big silent man now known has Darien had flung me back over his shoulder.

"Comfortable?" Eva asked.

I refused to respond.

I don't know how much time passed. I grew sore, horribly sore, in my position, but I was not going to say anything to these people. I already hated them.

But as grayness spilled over the trees we appeared near a pond that forced itself against the trees. Darien put me down much more ceremoniously than before.

The pond was pretty. It was a perfect circle and reflected the sky like a smoky glass mirror. I imagined that if I were a unicorn I would go drink in it.

Eva's father began pulling things out of a pack. "Do you stitch, Princess?"

I nodded.

"You're just a gem, aren't you? Here, take this, find a comfy spot, and get to work." He handed me a folded length of fabric, a few spools of thread, and a needle. Sew and stitch like you've never done so before and hopefully you'll make us rich."

"Us?"

"Well, we'd pay you, but you are the Prince's wife."

I sighed, but took the materials and sat down next to the pond. The fabric turned out to be a miniature tapestry of, of course, a unicorn. The unicorn was half-finished and sloppily done at that. Before I could do anything else I would have to take out quite a lot of thread. I grit my teeth and set to work. The thread snagged on the way out. It was poor quality. All of this stuff was poor quality. Why I had to deal with it I didn't know. But with a few mean jerks I had it out. And it was a tangled mess. I tossed it to the side and took out the white thread. Cheap white thread. But I would make the most of it.

The previous girls had worked on the unicorn's body, which should have been simple enough if they had sufficient talent, which clearly they did not. I rounded out the corner of its back and set into its tail. I felt incredibly calm as I worked.

Then something stirred near the pond. I automatically lifted my eyes and nearly laughed.

It was a unicorn. A living, breathing unicorn. And, sadly, not quite as glorious as I expected. It was rather fat and on the gray side, but a unicorn nonetheless. I should have expected all those stories had made them sound better than they were. It was just a non-ugly horse with cloven hooves and a horn. Still, it was graceful enough as it lowered its head for a drink.

I glanced to where my captors had been hiding, then stood up.

How did one go about calling a unicorn?

It eyed me as I approached, but continued to drink. I realized I wasn't much of a threat. "Hi, dearie," I said. "Hi, unicorn. You're pretty."

It rose its head and looked at me full on.

I held out a hand toward it. What would it be like to touch a unicorn?

It backed away a step, but did not run.

"Come on," I said. "Help me out here so I can get out of here." Maybe unicorns went for pleads.

The unicorn snorted, but otherwise did not bolt.

My fingers grazed its head. It still wasn't running. Okay, so princess title did outrank maidenhood. That was just unfair.

"You're pretty," I repeated.

And with that out of my mouth a rope slid over the unicorn's neck and Jack gave a cry of victory. The unicorn tried to bolt, but Jack was strong when it came to a rope.

I backed away as the unicorn tried to bite my hand. Nasty little thing. How did anyone like unicorns?

And yet… I hated the thought of what was happening to it.

Eva's father was over now along with Darien. Jack now had the rope tight and the unicorn had stopped struggling. It now stared around with panic in its eyes. Eva's father pulled out a small saw and stopped at the unicorn's head.

I gasped and closed my eyes. I couldn't bare to watch.

"It doesn't hurt them at all," Eva whispered to me. I hadn't realized she was there. "The new horn will start growing back within a day, sometimes. They're better classified as antlers that way."

"Just take me back," I muttered.


End file.
